Work holder and method for making rope soles



April 1950 c. c. ENRIGHT 2,503,034

' WORK HOLDER AND METHOD FOR MAKING ROPE SOLES Filed March 5, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 F' l g E I IN VEN TOR. qw/u as c". ENE/6197' BY W April 4, 1950 c. c. ENRIGHT WORK HOLDER AND METHOD FOR MAKING ROPE SOLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 5, 1945 Fig.4.

INVENTOR. CAM/LL05 c. ENE/6h? A rme/vsr Patented Apr. 4, 1950 I T ED IS O F FICE WORK' HOLDER AND METHOD FOR MAKING ROPE SOIJES Camillus C. Enright, Trenton, N. J Application March 1945,..Ser'ial-No. 581,105

Patent No. 2,370,642 on March 6, 1945.

My invention relates to the manufacture of rope soles for footwear, mats, pads and other articles formed of strands or coils of rope, braid or other fibrous material, and to machines and methods for use in stitching such materials.

Mostrope soles andsimilar articles have been made heretofore by hand or by machine which are. slow in operation. Furthermore, it has not been possible when using machines for stitching such materials to locate the stitches, accurately with respect to the work so as to insure the passage of a stitch through ends or turns of the" coiled rope or strands of material orv to position the stitches inlother selected and varied locations to insure the strongest and most satisfactory product.

When forming rope soles it has also been usual to clamp or press the strands together in a forming. device and thereafter to transfer the assembled coils or strands to another device whichsure applied to the opposite faces of the article and in a direction normal to the plane in whichthe strands are to be stitched. This pressure further tends to loosen the strands so that the strand'sarenot properly compacted in the fin-Q ished stitched'product. i In accordance with my invention these-objectionsto constructions and methods of the prior art are overcome and means are provided which are rapid in operation and serve topermit variationlin the spacing and accurate location of the stitches in the work. Myinvention further provides methods "and means which serve to compress the material in a direction'parallel tothat inwhich the stitches are formed 'and'to'holdithe materialso compressed" during stitching thereof 1 so that the finished product remains firm and tight when pressure is relieved-after" stitching.

In the construction illustrated in the drawings and hereafter described, the machine embodies a wo'rkholder which is adapted to receive strands or coils of rope to form a ropesole. The mate rial is'*pla ced inz-the-workholderxand is compressed transversely of the coils or strands in f a direct on 7 Claims; (01. 1122")"- p'ar'allel to t'ha'tl in which the work is to be stitched. The Workholder carrying the compressed strands is then moved in successive steps pasta reciprocating needle to stitch the material. The length of each step and the position of. each stitch is'controlled to space the stitches different distances apartandto locate these stitches in predetermined portions or at different points in the work so that the stitches pass through ends, turns or other predetermined portions of. the work. The length and position of each stitch is determinedindependently of every other stitch and it is therefore possible to pass workholders. carrying material for forming soles of different. sizes or for forming different articles, one after another through, the machine and past the needle. and to stitch each article in a selected and .predetermined manner without change or adjustment in the machine or its various elements.

One of the objects of my invention is to-provide improv'edmeans for use in stitching stranded material to produce soles for footwear, mats, pads and other articles formed of fibrous material.

A further object of my invention is to provide novel means for controlling the position inwhich. stitches are. formed in. articles such. as ropesoles, mats, pads and other articles.

Another. object of my invention is to provide improved methods for stitching rope solesand,

similar products.

I A; further objectof my invention is to provide novel means for forming. and holding work to bestitched.

These and other objects and features of..my, invention will appear from the following descrip.-;

tion thereof in which reference is made to the figures of the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a preferredform workholder. embodying my invention with parts.-

thereof; broken. away.

Figs-2 is a top plan view of a portion of. the".

form of workholder illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig.3 isi'a vertical sectional view of the works holder. illustrated: in. Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view throu h the workholder; shownrin Figs. 1, 2%al'l'd 3 showing the work iniplac'eawith respect: to aneedle and Shh 1171 tie used. in. forming a stitch-,and

Fig. 5: i'sxaf side' elevation of" a portion-:ofitwoholders are designed to be passed through a machine such as that illustrated and described in my copending application upon which Patent No. 2,370,642 has recently been issued to form stitches in the work carried thereby. The workholders may be of any suitable shape or form depending upon the type of article to be produced. As shown the holder is employed for forming rope soles for footwear and is formed of two members 2 and 4 which are separable along a line extending longitudinally of the sole to be produced.

The upper member 2 and the lower member 4 present complementary inwardly facing surfaces which define the shape of the article to be produced. These members extend about the coils or strands of material 6 to be stitched and are mov-, able toward each other to compress the strands of material transversely of the sole and in the direction in which the sole is to be stitched.

Each of the members 2 and 4 is formed with longitudinally extending beams or tracks 8 and ill on the opposite outer faces of the section and adjacent the longitudinal axis of the holder. These tracks are connected together at their ends by transversely extending webs l2 and pins 14. The opposite faces of the holder which lie adjacent the upper and lower faces of the sole are preferably spaced apart a distance at least equal to the uncompressed thickness of the sole to be produced so that the holder can readily receive the stranded material. By holding the faces thus spaced apart the strands of material are substantially uncompressed in directions normal to the upper and lower faces of the sole and therefore there are no forces opposing compression of the strands in the direction in which they are to be stitched and the strands are not expanded or spread transversely by pressure applied to the. faces of the sole. These faces are formed by the ribs I6 which extend vertically from the tracks 8 and I toward the edges of the holder. ribs which form the faces of the workholder are fixedly secured to the tracks 8 and i0 and held in spaced relation by the webs l2 and pins l4; whereas the .edges of the holder which lie adjacent the outer convolutionsor strands of the material used in producing the sole are formed as inwardly turned extremities [8 on the ends of the ribs IS. The extremities l8 are formed with openings 20 therein through which a needle 22 or other stitch forming means may bejpassed into engagement with thework in the holder. The extremities I8 are also formed with longitudinally extending slots 24 therein which'join the openings 20 and permit the passage of stitchforming thread into engagement with'the work.

Preferably also the extremities I8 are formed with inwardly turned projections 26' which'serv'e to compress the material adjacent the slots 24 and in the plane in which the stitches are to be produced to a greater ext'ntthan the material is compressed adjacent the 'ribs 15 and on the opposite faces of the sole. This serves to locate the stitch forming thread in a marginal groove or recess extending longitudinally 'of the sole so that it is not exposed prominently in'thefinish'ed product. 7

In order that the work' may bemoldedor shaped prior to stitching and remain "firm and tight during stitching so as to'retainits molded shape and firm character after stitching-and when removed from the workholder, the members 2 and 4 of the holder are provided with telescoping portions 28 which guide the members'in their movement toward each other to compress the material transversely of the strandsand 'in' a The " rope or braid used in forming a shoe sole.

4 direction parallel to that in which it is to be stitched. The lower end of the portion 28 on the upper member 2 is engageable with the upper surface of the tracks 8 and ID on the lower member 4 to limit movement of the members toward each other and thus prevent undue compression of the work, and to accurately define the size of the shoe sole to be produced. After being forced together about thework and into the fully closed and strand compressing position shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the members are locked together and held I inplace by means of hooks 30 on the ends of the members which are movable to engage the pins M on the opposite member. When so locked and held inplace the members and work are moved past the needle 22 which cooperates with a shuttle 32 to form stitches in the work.

It will be noted that there in an opening 34 between the hook 3E) and the web l2 on the holder. Moreover, the extremities of the tracks 8 and 10 project beyond the end face of the hook 30 to provide an opening 33 between one holder and another when they are placed end to end and passed in succession through the sewing machine. These openings are provided to permit the formation of stitches about the web l2 and hook 30 so that when the stitches are thereafter out between the successive holders, loose ends of thread are presented which may be used for finishing the sole or other article. The position of the threads about the webs I 2 and hooks 30 of adjacent workholders is indicated in Fig. 5 where. the thread 38 is that carried by the needle and extends over the web l2 and hook 30 whereas the thread 40 is that carried by the shuttle and passes beneath the web l2 and hook 30 and through the loop in the thread 38 which forms the stitch.

. In forming these stitches the needle 22 passes:

through the openings 20 in the edges of the holder adjacent extremities l8 while the threads 38 and 40 pass through the slots 24 between the extremities I8 and lie in the groove formed in the edges of the work by the inwardly turned projections 26 on the extremities l8. By cutting the thread at the ends of the workholder where it passes the stitches accurately with respect to the work and by controlling the position of the stitches it is possible to insure passage of a stitch through any particular portion of the material being stitched. Thus when forming a shoe sole of the. type shown and described in my issued Patent No.

2,430,497 and shown in Fig. 5 of this application it is possibleto place stitches in the work so that they extend through terminal portions such as the ends or reversely turned folds or coils of the As illustrated in Fig. 5 the rope sole may have reversed turns or terminal portions 4!, 42 and 44 and may have-an end portion 46 through which it is desired to pass stitches in order to insure the formationof a strong, durable product. Stitches are, of course, passed through the solo at various other points although the positioning of the lat";

ter stitches is not generally of such importance. However, even thenitis frequently desired to space the stitches different distances apart as.

when stitching the shank portion and toe or heel portions of the-sole.

The desired positioning and spacing of the stitches in the workis acoomplished in accord end of one workholder and about the hook-30 andweb I2 of a succeeding workholder being fed through the machine and stitching of the work in the next holder proceeds in the same manner. The stitches formed about the webs l2 and hooks 30 are free stitches and do not engage any work so that aft-er the workholders have passed beyond the needle 22 they are connected one to another by the free stitches, but may be cut apart by severing the thread between the ends of successive workholders in space 36. In this way free ends of thread are available for binding off and finishing the adjacent ends of the stitched products.

When the work has been stitched in this manher it may be removed from the workholder by swinging the hooks 30 outward from engagement with the pins 54 on the complementary section of the holder and the stitched sole may then be finished while the workholders are returned for receiving and compressing coiled material for forming additional soles.

In forming soles in accordance with my invention the shape and size of succeeding workholders and of the work produced therein may be varied if desired while operating continuously and it is not necessary to readjust or alter the machine in any way in order to form shoe soles of different; sizes or in order to form right and left soles for shoes.

curately produced and the resulting product is strong, firm and accurate in size and shape due to the fact that it is maintained under compression throughout the forming and stitching operations.

It will be apparent that the work holder may be used for shaping and compressing stranded materials which are to be secured or bonded together by means other than thread. The work holder also may be employed for shaping and compressing loose or irregularly arranged bats or masses of fibrous materials which are to be stitched, sewn or bonded together into a predetermined form.

I While I have illustrated and described workholders for use in forming soles for footwear in accordance with my invention it will be apparent that other articles may be produced in the same manner and that the form, construction and ar- 1. A holder for receiving material such as" coiled rope, braid or the like for the manufacture of fiat articles such as rope soles, mats and pads, said holder being formed with separable sec tionsshaped'to extend about the edges of a' coil'; of material and provided with openings in the opposite edges thereof for the passage 'of a needle through the material, and means'located adjacent said openings projecting inward from adja-' cent portions of said sections for compressing the material adjacent said openings in a direction parallel 'to that in which the needle-is passed through said openings and to a greater extent" Moreover, the soles may be quickly and acthan other-material engaged by-said portions are compressed.

2. The method of producing soles for footwear formed of stranded material which comprises the steps of arranging the strands side by side in the general form of a sole for footwear, compressing said stranded material transversely of said strands and in a plane parallel to and substantially mid-way between opposite upper and lower faces of said sole to a greater extent than in planes including said upper and lower faces of said sole, and forming stitches in said stranded materialin the first mentioned plane while the stranded material is so compressed.

3. A workholder for receiving and holding strands of material during stitching thereof toproduce soles for footwear, said holder comprising complementary members each having side portions fixedly connected together and held in spaced relation to form a cavity for receiving the strands to be stitched and provided with edge'portions secured to said side portions andpresenting surfaces defining the edges of the sole to be produced, said surfaces having openings therein positioned to allow the passage of a needle therethrough into engagement with material within the holder and having slots connectingsaid openings through which stitch forming threads may be passed, said complementary members being movable toward each other to compress the stranded material therein in the direction in which it is to be stitched, and means; extending inward from said edge defining sur-- faces adjacent the opposite edges of said slotsto compress the material adjacent said slots to a greater extent than other material engaged by said surfaces.

4. A workholder for use in stitching stranded material to produce soles for footwear comprising separable sections each presenting a portion defining one longitudinal edge of the sole to be produced, said portions being provided with complementary openings spaced different but predetermined distances apart longitudinally of the workholder whereby stitches may be formed different but predetermined distances apart in the stranded material, and means carried by said workholder and spaced apart different but pre-- determined distances corresponding to the spacing of said openings in the edge defining portionsv of the holder for positioning each opening adjacent a stitch forming device.

5. A holder for receiving material such as coiled rope, braid or the like for the manufacture of fiat articles such as rope soles, mats and pads, said holder being formed with separable complementary sections each formed with a portion shaped'to extend about an edge of material in said holder and provided with openings in said portion for the passage of a needle therethrough into work within the holder, said sections being movable toward each other to compress material between said portions in the direction in which the material is to be stitched, and means located adjacent said openings and extending inward from said portions for further compressing the material adjacent the point of entry of the needle in forming a stitch, and in a direction parallel to that in which'said sections are movedin compressing the material.

'6."A'holder for receiving material such as coiled rope, braid or the like for the manufacture of fiat articles such as rope soles, mats and pads, said holder being formed with separable compl'e-: mentaryl'sections each formed with a portiong shapedfto extend about an edge of material in said holder and provided with openings in said por tionmr the passage of a needle therethroughj intowork within the holder, said sections being movable toward each other to compress material between said portions in the direction in which the material is to be stitched, means located adjacent said openings and extending inward from said portions for "further compressing the material adjacent the point of entry of .the needle in forming a stitch, and in a direction parallel to that in which said sections are moved in compressing the material, and means for holding said. sections in material clamping relation during stitching of the material.

7. A workholder for receiving and holding "stranded material during stitching thereof em} bodying two compleiiientary sections each *of which has a track portion extending longitudinally of the holder adjacent opposite faces there} in [.rjf, said sections having complementary edge defining portions shaped to extend about the stranded material and formed with openings therein through which a stitch forming element may pass, said openings being connected by'slo'ts 10 through which a thread connecting successive stitches may pass, ratchet teeth formed on said tracks, each of which teeth corresponds in length to the spacing of adjacent openings in said edge defining portions and means for connecting said sections together in material compressing relation.

CAMILLUS C. ENRIGHT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,302,454 Martinez Nov. 1'7, 1942 2,430,497 Enright Nov. 11, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 20,819 Great Britain of 1911 488,675 France July 13, 1918 583,664 France Nov. 4, 1924 702,159 France Jan. 19, 1931 Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,503,034 April 4, 1950 OAMILLUS C. ENRIGHT It is hereby certified that errors appear in the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: I

In the drawings, Sheet 1, Figures 1 and 2 should appear as shown below instead of as in the patent:

-3$"""\ l! r l l l. l

i 8 I I I l J Fig.2

' Fig. 1 r and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office. Signed and sealed this 29th day of August, A. D. 1950.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Commissioner of Patents. 

